Objective: Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2 ) and cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1 ) have been associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility and prognosis. The polymorphisms ALDH2  rs671 and CYP2E1  rs2031920 are reportedly correlated with the prevalence of HCC in other countries. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between ALDH2  and CYP2E ,  and HCC susceptibility in a population of Guangxi, southern China, an area with a high incidence of HCC.
Patients and methods: The study cohort included 300 HCC cases, 292 healthy controls for HCC susceptibility analysis, and another 20 HCC cases and 10 healthy controls for ascertainment. Genotyping was performed using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method.
Results: The study results demonstrated that mutant genotypes of ALDH2  (G/A and A/A) led to significant differences in HCC susceptibility, as compared with the wild genotype (G/G) with the same C1/C1 genotype in non-drinking individuals (adjusted P =0.010, OR=0.20, 95% CI=0.06–0.68). The mutant genotypes of CYP2E1  (C1/C2 and C2/C2) brought about significant differences in HCC susceptibility, as compared with the wild genotype (C1/C1) and the same G/G genotype (adjusted P =0.025, OR=0.42, 95% CI=0.20–0.90). Drinking plays a role in HCC susceptibility in the same G/G genotype individuals (adjusted P =0.004, OR=0.32, 95% CI=0.15–0.69), but had no impact when combined with CYP2E1  for analysis (all P >0.05).
Conclusion: These results suggest that the mutant genotypes of ALDH2  and CYP2E1  may be protective factors for HCC susceptibility in Guangxi province, China.
Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma susceptibility, genetic polymorphism, ALDH2 , CYP2E1 , Chinese population